A Gaussian or Faraday cage or chamber is an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield or cage/chamber may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cages are named after the English scientist Michael Faraday, who invented them in 1836. A Faraday cage operates because an external electrical field causes the electric charges within the cage's conducting material to be distributed such that they cancel the field's effect in the cage's interior. This phenomenon is used to protect sensitive electronic equipment from external radio frequency interference. Faraday cages are also used to enclose devices that produce RFI, such as radio transmitters, to prevent their radio waves from interfering with other nearby equipment. They are also used to protect people and equipment against actual electric currents such lighting strikes and electrostatic discharges, since the enclosing cage conducts current around the outside of the enclosed space and none passes through the interior.
Faraday cages cannot block static or slowly varying magnetic fields, such as the Earth's magnetic field. To a large degree, though, they shield the interior from external electromagnetic radiation or EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) if the conductor is thick enough and any holes are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. For example, certain computer forensic test procedures of electronic systems that require an environment free of electromagnetic interference can be carried out within a screened room. These rooms are spaces that are completely enclosed by one or more layers of a fine metal mesh or perforated sheet metal. The metal layers are grounded to dissipate any electric currents generated from external or internal electromagnetic fields, and thus they block a large amount of the EMI. They provide less attenuation from outgoing transmissions versus incoming: they can shield EMP waves from natural phenomena very effectively, but a tracking device, especially in upper frequencies, may be able to penetrate from within the cage.
One problem with conventional Faraday and/or Gaussian cages or chambers is how to implement a single or paired flexible solid or stranded core (e.g., paired set) that can perform similar to a semi-rigid wire to allow high frequency signals to be sent through a metal container that contains a strong energy field. In some cases, the paired sets may be differential. The latest technique for managing the energy field involves placing a ground signal between the pairs to attempt to bring the energy towards zero. Containing the energy of a single or a pair of flexible stranded or solid cores within a Faraday or Zero Gauss Chamber will allow the energy to be contained effectively to deliver improved signal integrity.